Fair / 23° F
6-year-old breaks record with astronaut training
Published 12:32pm Monday, August 30, 2010
- 6-year-old Michael Balance gives a thumbs-up prior to his flight Aug. 17.
SPECIAL TO THE RECORD
Many young people dream about becoming an astronaut, but now one local boy has taken his dream of flying high a step further.
Six-year-old Michael Balance of Huntsville has been captivated by space ever since he was 2 years old.
“When Michael grows up, he wants to build a rocket and go to the moon,” said Michael’s stepfather James Hopkins.
Americans in Orbit-50 Years (AIO-50), located in Madison, and Aurora Aerospace are helping to make sure Michael will one day achieve his dreams of space exploration.
Hopkins said that Michael met the founders of Aurora Aerospace last year and Michael made a very strong impression on them.
At the time, Aurora Aerospace was looking for a 6-year-old to take zero-gravity training to break the existing world record (held by a 7-year-old).
“Michael was the first 6-year-old they met who would really enjoy the training,” said Hopkins.
So, on Aug. 12, Michael took the first step on his quest to launch into space when he became the youngest person in history to receive some astronaut training in Clearwater, Fla.
Michael participated in zero-gravity training when he flew in a twin engine plane that maneuvered so that he floated weightless in the cabin.
Michael broke the existing world record for the youngest person to receive zero-gravity training and now he can apply for a Guinness World Record.
“Our mission is to inspire younger generations to pursue space exploration and create public excitement about space. We are happy that Michael is so enthusiastic about space exploration at such a young age, and hope his enthusiasm rubs off on others,” said Craig Russell, President of AIO-50. “We congratulate Michael for breaking the world record.”
Aurora Aerospace is the first private astronaut training facility to own and operate aircraft for training.
Howard Chipman, Aurora Aerospace’s CEO, piloted the aircraft.
Veronique Balsa-Koken, the company’s president, was responsible for safety and coached Michael during the various maneuvers in zero-gravity.
“Michael did wonderfully in zero-gravity for someone so young,” said Balsa-Koken.
Commander Chipman and pilot Balsa-Koken are also astronauts on the prime crew for Ameirca’s Launch, targeted for Feb. 20, 2012.
This date will commemorate the 50th anniversary of America’s first manned orbital flight, Friendship 7, piloted by John Glenn. AIO-50 selected Aurora Aerospace to provide astronaut training for this flight and future missions.
After the maiden voyage, future flights will offer college and university students a unique orbital platform for their own experiments launched on a regular basis.
Who knows? Maybe young Michael Balance will someday get an opportunity to become an astronaut thanks to AIO-50.
AIO-50 is a nonprofit education organization committed to offering more opportunities for students to participate in space-related discoveries, to contribute to resulting technologies and to inspire future generations of space explorers.
For more information, visit our website at AIO50.org.
